Cigar-lighter.



PATENTED AUG. 13'

T. B. MURRAY. CIGAR LIGHTER. APPLICATION FILED =1PB..24.1906.

' THOMAS B. MURRAY, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINlA.

cross-LIGHTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1967.

Application filed A il 24. 1906. Serial No. 313,471:

Teall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newport News, in the county of Warwick and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Lighters, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cigar lighters of the type in which a wick is ignited by means of an electric sparkproduced through the medium of a movable sparking member carrying a contact piece adapted for cooperation with a contact member on the -wick tube to mementarily complete an electric circuit and has for its objects to produce a comparatively simple, inexpensive device of this character in which the sparking member will be properly guided in its movements, one wherein the spark will be positively and effectually produced, and one in which the flame will be extinguished upon movement of the sparking member to normal position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel features of construction and coinbination of parts more fully hereinafter described.-

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a cigar lighter embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontalscction taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the movable contact member; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the guide member.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a box or casing constituting a base for the device and containing a metal tank or reservoir 2 designed to hold a supply of gasolene or other inflammable liquid and having a tu; bular neck 3 projected upward through an opening in the top 4 of the box and externally screw-threaded as at 5 for detachable threaded engagement by the lower ends of a vertically uprising wick tube 6 containing a wick 7 which projects downward into the tank 2, there being fixed on the tube 6 and to project slightly above the. upper open end thereof a contact member or piece 8 formed to have a certain amount of yieldability and reinforced by a spring 9.

Fixed on the tube 6 at a point beneath and suitably remote from its upper end is a bearing clip 10 to which is detachably pivoted by means of a screw 11 and clip 12, a movable sparking member or arm 13 disposed in a vertical plane and to swing toward and from the tube (5, around which and the upper portion of the sparking member there is applied an elastic or other spring band 14 which maintains the part in the normal position illustrated by full lines in Fig. land with the upper end of the member 13 lying adjacent to the upper end of the tube, it being noted in this connection that the member 13 is angularly bent as shown whereby its lower end will, under normal conditions, lie at a point remote from the lower portion of the tube 6. The member 13 which has its lower portion provided with a hand piece 15 of suitable non-conducting material is insulated from the tube 6 by means of insulating material 16 disposed within the clip 12 and has its lower end slotted'or bifurcated to engage a vertically disposed guide member or plate 17 secured to the cover 4 by means of depending threaded studs 18 onto one of which there is tapped, within the casing, a nut 19, there being provided at theouter end of the guide member 17, the upper edge of which is arcuately curved, a pair of laterally projecting stop lugs or abutments 20 with which the lower end of member 13 contacts for limiting its outward'movement under the action of spring 14. I

Detachably engaged with the upper end of member 13; which is provided adjacent said end, with a projecting portion or hood 21 adapted to normally overlie the upper end of tube 6, is a forwardly projecting, substantially horizontal bracket arm 22 having a threaded shank 23 extended transversely through the member 13 for the reception of a nut 24 by which the bracket is secured in place, there being-pivoted tothe outer end of arm 22 by meansof a pintle 25 a plurality of movable contact members or pieces 26 adapted for cooperation with the contact piece 8 and for movement against the action of a pair of leaf springs 27 secured to the arm 22 and arranged to bear on the contact pieces for holding them. normally at right angles to the arm.

Connected with one of the studs 18 by means of the nuts 19 is an electrical wire 28leading from a battery not shown and from which a second wire 29 leads to and is'terminally engaged with the reservoir 2 by 2 may be replenished with liquid from time to time as desired.

In practice, the lower portion of member 13 is grasped and moved toward the tube 6 as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus carrying the contact pieces 26 over the contact member 8 and producing a spark which ignites the upper end of wick 7, which of course is saturated with the inflammable material drawn from the tank 2. After using the lighter the sparking member 15 is released and is automatically returned to normal position by means of the spring 14, whereupon the hood 21 in passing over the upper end of the wick extinguishcs the flame, it being noted that during return movement of the sparking member the springs 27 will yield to permit the members 26 to spring on their pivot in passing over the contact piece 8. It is .to be particularly noted that the member 15 is held against lateral movement and properly guided in its movements by the guide member 17 and further that owing to the sparker being equipped with a plurality of the-contact pieces 26 the device is rendered highly efiicient in action and failure of the same to produce a spark is obviated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1

1. In a device of the class described, a base, a vertically disposed wick tube fixed thereon and provided with a contact piece, a sparking member pivoted between its ends to the tube to swing toward and from the latter and'carrying a cooperating contact piece, and means for guiding the member in its movements. I

2. In a device of the class described, a base, awick tube fixed thereon and provided with a contact piece, a sparking member pivoted between its ends to the tube to swing to ward and from the latter and carrying a coiiperating contact piece and a fixed die movably engaged by the lower end of the sparking member for guiding the same in its movements.

i 3. In a device of the class described, a base, a wick tube fixed thereon and provided with a contact-piece, a guide member fixed on the base, a sparking-member pivoted between its ends to the tube to-swing toward and from the 4. In a device of the class described, a base, a wick tube sustained thereon and provided with a contact piece, a guide member fixed on the base, a sparking member pivoted between its ends to the tube to swing toward and from the latter and carrying a contact piece, said member having one of its ends 'movably engaged with the guide member, a spring for returning the sparking member to normal position, and a stop on the guide for limiting the return movement of the sparking member 5. In a device of the class described, a box or casing constituting a base, a ,receptacle disposed within the box and having a tubular neck extended upward through the top of the box, a wick tube having detachable threaded engagement at its lower end with said neck and provided at its upper end with a contact Diced. a guide member fixed on the base, a sparking member pivoted between its ends to the tube and carrying a contact piece adapted for cooperation with that on the tube, said sparking member being movably engaged at its lower end with the guide and adapted to swing toward and from the tube, and 'a springfor moving the member in one direction, said guide being provided with a stop to limit the movement of the Witnesses .loHN L. FLETCHER, .FABIUS S. ELMORE. 

